Fluid jet cutting system with self orienting catcher

Abstract

A system and process for fluid jet cutting of a workpiece providing for self orientation of a catcher vessel. This invention comprises a cutting head adapted to be connected to the robot arm of a robotically controlled cutting system. A nozzle is mounted in the cutting head and adapted to dispense a jet cutting fluid stream along a cutting axis to be directed against a workpiece. The system further comprises a catcher assembly including a bracket supporting a catcher vessel having a receiving aperture. The catcher vessel contains a sacrificial material for dissipation of kinetic energy of the spent jet cutting stream. The supporting bracket includes an arm which depends from the cutting head along a traverse which is laterally offset from the cutting axis. The catcher vessel is oriented so that the receiving aperture is aligned with the cutting axis of the nozzle so that the spent cutting stream emanating from the nozzle and passing through the workpiece ultimately passes into the aperture of the cutting vessel. The catcher assembly is rotatably mounted on the cutting head for rotation about an axis coincident with the cutting axis along which the fluid stream is directed. This allows the bracket and the catcher vessel to rotate relative to the nozzle while retaining the aligned orientation of the catcher vessel aperture with the cutting axis. Thus, the catcher vessel is maintained in a mechanically self oriented configuration relative to the nozzle throughout the cutting operation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.